Untitled For Now
by Naiya Kokoro
Summary: AU Set in Antebellum America, where Muggles are slaves, owned by the Purebloods. When one belonging to Lucius Malfoy is discovered to have magical talents, no one will be able to anticipate the consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Ok, just as a warning, this story will not have a happy ending, ok? And I do not own HP.

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**Chapter One**

Hermione stood in the center of the small shed. She was sweating profusely despite it being the middle of February, but Master Malfoy just made her that nervous. Hermione was no fool, she knew the law. All that remained was for her to be told the date on which it would be enforced. Her parents had been allowed to accompany her, but she'd refused. This was something she wanted to handle on her own.

The door opened, but she continued to look straight ahead as slaves were trained to do. Lucius Malfoy entered her field of vision from the right and seated himself directly in front of her, right leg crossed over his left with both hands folded over the silver snake head of his cane.

For the first fifteen minutes, he said nothing; he simply stared at her with an unreadable expression. Hermione knew she shouldn't have, but she began to fidget under Lucius' gaze. He spoke just as she thought she would burst from the anticipation.

"I'm sure you know the law." Hermione bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement that she did indeed know the law. "By order of the governor, I am supposed to have you turned in to be publicly made an example of."

Hermione lowered her head even further. "I understand, Master. It's your duty to obey the law. When will I be sent to the capital?"

Lucius allowed a smile to pass over his face for the briefest moment before his expression returned to that of complete stoicism. "Turned in? Why, my dear Hermione, I wasn't thinking of sending you to the governor for a second."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "You weren't? But I thought-"

"You thought wrong," he snapped. Then he smiled. "From this moment on, you're being reassigned. You are officially a house slave. You will reside in my house from now on. Of course, this will mean having to say goodbye to your parents. But if you prove to be well-behaved, I shall allow you to visit them as I see fit. Your main duty will be to clean, for which I shall allow you to use magic on one condition. Under no circumstances are you to use magic in front of others, understand? This includes slaves, members of my family, and guests. Of course you shall have to be taught basic cleaning spells first. And on my next trip to town, a wand shall be purchased for you."

Hermione could do little more than nod in incredulity. Lucius Malfoy was known even among other slave owners for being ruthless and unnecessarily cruel to his slaves, and yet he was sparing her life? He was even allowing her to use her magic? He could have been reading her mind at that exact moment, but Hermione dared to suspect Lucius of ulterior motives. After all, he had no reason to want to keep her alive.

"Thank you, Master," she replied cautiously. Lucius nodded in response and summoned for another slave, a girl a bit older than Hermione. He instructed for her to show Hermione to the master's house, where she would now be living.

Lucius Malfoy's house was an elaborately built, cypress-paneled white mansion. Its three stories, the only home in the entire state to be built as such, served to showcase his enormous wealth. Five miles from the entrance gate, it stood at the forefront of the property almost as if to guard the plantation from intruders.

Hermione's escort brought her to a side door located on the Manor's east wing, where she paused and gawked at the building in awe. With the exception of house slaves, no Muggle had ever set foot into Lucius Malfoy's home and even those select few slept elsewhere. Only then did the gravity of her situation truly hit Hermione. She was a Muggle with newly-discovered magical abilities, living in a mansion full of notoriously bigoted Purebloods. Upon that realization, she began to quiver slightly.

"Miss?" the slave girl gazed at Hermione with a concerned expression. "Please, follow me." The two girls entered the house into what appeared to be the kitchens. Three or four slaves were busy preparing dinner, while an elegant woman dressed in periwinkle robes kept watch over them. At the sound of the door opening, her head snapped around to the source of the intrusion.

Narcissa crossed over to Hermione and the other slave girl. "Go back to your previous duties," she told the girl. Once she was gone, Narcissa turned to Hermione. "Follow me."

Narcissa led Hermione out of the kitchens and up a cramped, wooden staircase that looked more like someone had magically joined together a closet on each floor. "This is the servants' staircase," Narcissa explained. "You will use this, and **only** this staircase to travel about the house. When you perform your duties, you are to remain out of sight at all times, is that understood?"

Hermione nodded, although Narcissa couldn't see it. "Yes, Mistress Malfoy."

Narcissa continued. "Good. Other than my son, Draco, who resides in the east wing, the third floor of the house remains largely unoccupied at the moment. Your room shall be up there."

They exited the staircase on the third floor. Narcissa took out her wand and waved it over herself, muttering a quick spell to clear her robes of nonexistent dust. She glided down the hallway and beckoned for Hermione to follow. They walked across the entire house into the west wing. Hermione noted that the east, central, and west wings were distinguished from one another where the floor angled slightly and there were ornate arches that spiraled outwards from the corners where the wall met the ceiling.

Narcissa led Hermione to the last door on the right, which opened to reveal a moderately-sized guest room. In the center of the far wall there was one window covered by a thin white curtain. The bed looked comfortable and large enough to fit two people. A steamer trunk rested at its foot. Hermione had never seen a brass-frame bed before, and couldn't believe the Malfoys were going to such lengths to make her stay with them a pleasant one. She reached out to run her hand over it. The smooth metal was cool beneath her fingertips.

Hermione's admiration was cut short by the sound of Narcissa Malfoy clearing her throat. "I take it that you find your room acceptable," she said. "Remain here for the next few days until Lucius can take you into town. You are not to leave this house, even after you receive your wand. Your parents have been told that you've been sold. It is too dangerous to keep you around those who already know you. I will be supervising your training, teaching you basic cleaning spells and such. Good night, Hermione."

Narcissa Malfoy left the room, her robes swirling behind her in a sea of blue. Hermione stared after her for a minute, then resumed her investigation of the bed.

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**A/N:** Sorry this one was so short, I just wanted to use this as a setup of the story. But I promise the ones that follow will be much longer!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey guys! Personally, I don't think this chapter is too good, but I just needed to get this out. These first few chapters are mostly just filler to get to the main point. I have the story outlined, so I know how it's gonna end up, but it's the little details that get me sometimes. Thank you so very much to Cyn-twin and Shakari, my lone two reviewers!

**Chapter Two**

Hermione smoothed down her dress one more time. She was being taken into town by Lucius Malfoy today, and he'd bought her an outfit to wear. The rough cotton shift she'd worn before would've instantly given her away as being a Muggle. By order of the lady of the house, her hair had been washed and she'd been given a hot bath. Muggles were only ever given a hot bath when prospective buyers visited Malfoy Manor. Otherwise, they had to settle for getting water from the stream that ran through the property. Hermione ran her hands through her hair, feeling her sore scalp. The girl who'd helped her take the bath, a young woman named Augusta, had pulled on her hair a little too harshly while trying to detangle it.

Hermione sat down on the bed. She stared at her hands, noticing how she'd never seen them without dirt on her palms or under her nails. The hands she looked at now were almost those of a lady. Narcissa had instructed Augusta to make sure Hermione's appearance carried no traces of her true heritage. Hermione thought Augusta had done a good job.

There was a knock on the door. It opened, and Narcissa Malfoy stood in the doorframe. "Come with me. My husband is waiting downstairs."

Hermione followed her mistress into the central wing and down the main staircase of the house. The heels of her boots thumped against the rug laid over the stairs. Hermione wiggled her toes with every step. She'd never worn shoes in the summer before, and she thought they were a bit constricting.

Lucius was waiting for them on the ground floor. Hermione had never seen this part of the house, but she'd have to wait to see it fully. Before she and Narcissa could finish their descent, Lucius was already out the door, getting into his carriage. Narcissa gently nudged Hermione in the same direction, giving her last minute pointers as to how someone associated with the Malfoys would act in public. She stepped back and glanced at Hermione one last time. "I do wish I had more time to teach you proper social skills," she lamented. "Just let my husband do most of the talking and all will be well."

Hermione was ushered out of the door and into the carriage. Because it only held two people, she found herself sitting right next to Lucius Malfoy. He spared her a brief glance when she tripped over her dress getting into the carriage, but otherwise looked straight ahead and said nothing. Lucius' tapping of his cane signaled the two large Abraxans that were harnessed to the carriage to start moving. The horses cantered along at a light but brisk pace that allowed Hermione to take in the scenery but still had her brushing hair out of her face. The world outside the Manor was exactly the same as it was inside—and yet it was vastly different. There was no fence, physical or magical, to keep Hermione inside anymore. On either side of the road, the forest stretched on for miles, although the trees began to thin out the farther they traveled. It was a sunny day, and the fluffy clouds seemed to dance and play with each other in the sky, making Hermione giggle. Lucius gave her another look from the corner of his eye. Hermione caught it. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she forced herself to sit back and behave. Lucius allowed a satisfied smirk to cross his face.

Hermione could not contain her excitement anymore once the town came into view. Never in her life had she ever seen so many people at once. As a young child, she'd once thought the slaves of Malfoy Manor made up the world's population. If she were to now take every one of those slaves and replace one of the townspeople, they would only have accounted for one-tenth of the people in the area.

The Abraxans pulled up on a street that was lined with coaches. Lucius got out, and then turned to Hermione. "Stay here," he told her, accenting the order with a jab of his cane. Hermione instinctively nodded. Following orders came easy to her, even in her new clothes. Lucius headed off to his left. Hermione followed him with her eyes until he was lost in a crowd of people.

A few hours later, Hermione still sat in the carriage, as instructed. She was nervous. Master Malfoy had been gone for some time, and people stared at her as they passed. They'd never seen her before, what if they knew she was a Muggle? She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the master. She spotted him under a nearby tree a few yards away, conversing with another man. He was about Hermione's age, but he looked exactly like Lucius. This was unmistakably Lucius' son.

Hermione couldn't help but watch, engrossed in the interaction between the two. Master Malfoy treated even his own son as a business partner. The two expressed no familial recognition towards each other at all. The younger Malfoy seemed to be reporting to his father, who was listening intently. It was obvious that Lucius was not pleased with what he was hearing. She looked on as Draco produced a folded note from inside his jacket and handed it to his father. Lucius read it, his face contorting in disgust, and handed it back. He issued one last order to his son and headed back to the carriage. Hermione looked away and pretended she hadn't been looking, but Lucius knew better. He'd seen her.

"Come," he told her with his arm extended. Hermione gave him a puzzled look.

"I can't have you stumbling out of my carriage in public. Now take my hand and get out," he told her.

Hermione tentatively placed her hand in his. She felt herself being lifted up and out of the carriage. Lucius placed his hand on her back and guided her down the sidewalk and around a corner. Hermione allowed herself to be led into a small shop whose overhang read 'Ollivander's.'

The shop's interior was composed of a small loft that could be entered from staircases at either end of the shop. Right underneath were a small desk and an adding machine. Behind the desk there was a compact hallway that led to a dark door. On both floors, the walls were lined with long, thin boxes that were labeled with ornate handwriting. The shop had only one window. The afternoon light bathed the entire room in a dim glow.

Lucius pushed Hermione forwards to the desk. He cleared his throat and said, "Ollivander." It wasn't a call, merely a statement, but had they been at the Manor, the tone in Lucius' voice would've made Hermione scurry to his side.

There was a thud that came from the second floor. A gaunt, elderly man with a lush head of white hair descended the stairs. His expression upon seeing Lucius was not one of pleasure, and he approached the man with his back straight and shoulders back.

"Ahh, Lucius, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he shook Malfoy's hand.

Lucius gestured to Hermione. "This is Hermione. She needs a wand. Her first."

Ollivander looked over to Hermione, who shuffled nervously under his gaze. He turned back to Lucius. "Isn't she a little old for her first wand?"

Hermione looked to Lucius, afraid their secret his out. Her master merely smiled and placed a small velvet bag on the desk. "She is a bit behind, I'll admit. But see, Hermione here is…special. So do you have something for her or shall I be forced to look somewhere else?"

Ollivander scoffed. "You know there is no one else who can help you." He gestured out for Hermione. "Come."

Ollivander summoned a chair from further back in the shop and had Hermione sit on it. He measured various parts of her body with a white string that came from the end of his wand. Finally, he summoned a box from somewhere in the shop and presented it to Hermione.

"Try this one. Holly, dragon heartstrings, ten inches. Go on, give it a wave."

Hermione did as she was told and a bunch of boxes fell from their places. Ollivander quickly snatched the wand back and replaced it with another one. "Even I have off days sometimes. This is definitely the one. Oak, phoenix tail feather, eight and a quarter inches. Nice, sturdy wand."

Hermione took the wand and gave it a wave. A large crack appeared in the shops wooden floor. Ollivander said nothing as he took the second wand and replaced it with a third. Hermione was hesitant to try it. She feared that even if she did have magical powers, the wands would all reject her because she was a Muggle. She gave a resigned sigh and half-heartedly flailed the wand around. A soft breeze fluttered through the shop, and that was it.

Ollivander smiled. "Congratulations, Hermione. This is your new wand. Yew, unicorn hair, nine inches. A beautiful wand, if I do say so myself."

Ollivander escorted Hermione back down the stairs, where Lucius was waiting for them. "Hermione is a very special girl indeed," Ollivander told him. "Her wand is a testament to that."

"Good. Come, Hermione." Master Malfoy led her back to the carriage where the Abraxans were pawing at the ground impatiently. They had been gone the entire day, and the sun was setting. The entire ride home, Hermione fingered her new wand, memorizing the texture of the cool wood. Once they'd arrived at the Manor, Lucius instructed her to go straight up to her room and sleep, as her training would begin the next day.

Hermione proceeded straight to her room and got undressed for bed. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. Her wand was underneath her pillow. It was a calming presence that she'd never noticed she'd been missing before. For the first time in her life, Hermione felt complete. She sighed and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come.

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There it is! Enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I am sooooo sorry it took me this long to update! Sorrysorrysorry! I've never gotten this far in any of my stories, except in outlines. I had a really hard time with this chapter. To tell the truth, I don't like it that much. I struggle a lot with transitional chapters, but it has to be done, right? Well here it is! From now on, it'll be on to the Dramione-ness. =) And thanks to all my reviewers, you have no idea how much I appreciate that.

**Chapter Three**

The sun had yet to creep over the horizon when Hermione was awoken by a mousy young girl prodding her in the side. Hermione burrowed further into her covers, which made the girl poke harder. Convinced her good night's rest was officially over, Hermione flipped down the top of her blanket to glare at the girl.

"I'm sorry, but Master Malfoy wishes to speak with you in his study," the girl told Hermione.

_Of course he does. Yesterday was all just a cruel, horrible trick, and now today I die._ Hermione crawled out of bed and threw on the dress she'd worn yesterday. Someone had come into her room and cleaned it during the night. The servant girl stood patiently as Hermione dressed herself, not bothering to step outside or turn around. When Hermione was finished, the two women walked side by side down a side staircase similar to the one Hermione had used on her first day in the house. She assumed there was one on each side.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were already in the study when Hermione arrived. Both were perched upon throne-like chairs made of a gleaming dark wood. Standing slightly behind Narcissa's left shoulder was a small elderly man. He was eyeing Hermione with a mixture of disgust and appreciation, and she figured the appreciation stemmed from the bag of gold he was lovingly caressing in his hands.

Narcissa shifted in her chair as if the man's presence completely disgusted her. "Hermione dear, this is Gibbons," she said. "Gibbons is fairly good at certain charms and we were fortunate in that he owes my husband a few favors. He has agreed to teach you magic. Do you have your wand, dear?"

Hermione held it out for Narcissa to see, who nodded her head in approval.

"Good girl," she said. "Now be a dear and escort Gibbons back to your room. Your lessons are to take place there." She turned to Lucius who hadn't moved or spoken the entire time. "Do you have anything to add, dear?" she asked."

Lucius shifted in his chair. "Hermione, do you see the bag of gold that Gibbons is holding?" She nodded. "Good. It took me a very large amount of money to get him here, for him to agree to teach you, and for him to swear to secrecy. I've invested a lot of money in you, my little Mudblood. Needless to say, I think everyone in this room knows what would happen to you should you fail me."

"Fail you at what, sir?" Hermione asked.

Lucius laughed to himself. "You shall just have to wait and see, won't you? Now go."

Hermione gave a short bow to both Malfoys before leaving the room. With Gibbons right behind her, they went back up the wooden stairs to the top floor. There was no need to hide up there so Hermione took her time going from the stairs to her room. Truth be told, Hermione was nervous and not even sure that she was ready to learn magic. She attributed part of this anxiety to her teacher. Gibbons' dislike of her was so palpable that it was almost a third entity in the room.

Unsure of what to do now, she sat down on the bed while Gibbons simply stared at her. Not wanting to look at him, she stared at her hands until he spoke.

"I'm probably the only one in the Malfoy social circle who knows the spells I am about to teach you. Quite frankly, I hate your kind. But Lucius Malfoy's pockets run deep, as do the number of favors I owe him."

Hermione nodded.

"Good, you understand," he continued. "Now get up. The Scouring Charm is the most basic cleaning spell there is. You can use this to clean almost anything, except the most rare and ancient of things, and I doubt you'll be left to anything like that. Point your wand at whatever you're cleaning, and say _Scourgify._ Come on now, let's see."

Gibbons pulled a bag of dirt from the inside of his coat and dumped it over Hermione's bed. Outraged, she turned to Gibbons with her fists clenched in anger until she realized what he was doing. A bit more sheepishly, she turned to the bed with her wand raised.

"Sc-scourgify," she said. Nothing happened, and she looked to Gibbons for help.

"Sc-sc-sc-_scared,_ Mudblood?" he sneered. "You can't stutter your way through magic, girl! Magic about harnessing control, and power, don't you know that?" He paused, and chuckled to himself at his little joke. "No… I guess you don't. Now do it again. Focus on a small part of the mess and try to clear _that_ away, if you can."

Hermione was starting to get agitated. She cleared her throat, shook her arms, and raised the wand again. She focused directly on the center of the dirt stain and said it again. This time, there was no stuttering or hesitation, and her voice resounded clearly throughout the room. The dirt vanished almost instantly.

Hermione was so shocked that she almost dropped the wand. What had she just done?

"What did I just do?" she asked an equally astounded Gibbons.

He simply shook his head. "You used magic, that's what. This is nothing like what I expected, Lucius will want to be informed of this immediately…" he continued on but Hermione couldn't hear him.

"Informed of what?" she asked.

"Nothing," he snapped. He pulled out another bag of dirt and dumped this one on the floor. "Do it again."

Hermione raised her wand again. "_Scourgify!"_

The dirt vanished again. This time, the rug went with it. Hermione jumped back. "Why did the rug go?"

Gibbons stepped closer to examine the floor as if there was something to find. "What did you focus on when you said the spell?"

"Cleaning the floor," she stated as if it should've been obvious.

"That's it?" he asked. Hermione nodded. "You were supposed to concentrate on cleaning the dirt off of the floor, specifically. The spell can't determine what a mess is and what it isn't, you have to bend it and guide it with your mind! Stupid Mudblood, didn't you know that? No, I suppose you don't." He laughed again as he made the same joke a second time.

Hermione's lessons progressed the same way for the rest of the day. By the time the sun had gone down, she was able to cast _scourgify, tergeo, wingardium leviosa, _and_ reparo. _As it had been her first time using magic, she was utterly exhausted. What she really wanted was for Gibbons to hurry up and leave so she could sleep, and she voiced her opinions.

"Believe me, I would like nothing more than to leave this room," he told her. "I've spent way too much time around your Mudblood filth, but Lucius needs to see you when I'm done, so let's go."

Hermione gave an exasperated sigh before she followed Gibbons on the trek back to the elder Malfoy's study. No one was there, so Gibbons made himself comfortable in Lucius' throne-chair and pulled out his wand. "_Expecto patronum,_" he whispered.

A silvery cloud materialized from the end of his wand. Gibbons brought the wand close to his face and said to the wisp, "Lucius, I'm done with the girl. We're in the study." He flicked his wand and the cloud detached itself, and then slithered out of the room, presumably to find Lucius Malfoy.

Gibbons lounged back over the side of the chair to make himself more comfortable. He was still ranting about Mudbloods and their contagious filth, and Hermione desperately wished she knew a spell to make him shut up. She continued just raising the wand and saying whatever came to mind, but before she could do it, an invisible force knocked Gibbons over the side of the chair and onto the floor.

Lucius Malfoy strode into the study, pocketing his wand. "Never sit in my chair again," he warned a stunned Gibbons. Lucius placed himself in the chair with his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap. "How were your first lessons, Hermione?"

"Very good sir," she said. "I learned a lot from Mr. Gibbons."

Lucius turned to Gibbons, who was just picking himself up off of the floor. "Is this true?"

Gibbons nodded. "The girl's got a lot of power. Mind you, she was only doing basic spells, but she just might be better than Draco was when he first got his wand. They're definitely even, though, I'll tell you that. It's unnatural, especially for a Mudblood."

"Hmm." Lucius' gaze on Hermione intensified. He was silent for a while before he spoke again. "Hermione, do you know why my family is so influential?"

"Because your family is rich, sir?"

"Well, yes," he said, "But how did we come to be so wealthy?"

Hermione stared at Lucius as if he had grown a second head. Even Gibbons was confused.

"From time immemorial, the Malfoy name has always meant power. Political power, economic power, and most importantly, _magical power_. My ancestors were very strong and they used that to intimidate their enemies, and not always through legal means. Even now, the time does call when I need to… _bend certain rules_ in order to accomplish certain things. Take yourself, for example. When it was revealed that you possessed the ability to perform magic, I saw it as another opportunity. Now that I know it wasn't a fluke and you can indeed use magic, and very strongly at that, I plan to use you as an… _information gatherer,_ of sorts."

Hermione was stunned. "Sir?"

"Yes, I think this shall work out quite well. You'll still have to clean during the day, of course. That'll be your cover. But we have much more to teach you, much much more… From now on, I shall be attending your lessons. Eventually, once Gibbons here has taught you all he has to teach, then you shall be learning from me directly. Understood?"

Hermione nodded dumbly.

"Good. Now get out, both of you."

Gibbons gave Lucius a half-bow and excuse himself with Hermione not far behind. She was terrified-both of that Lucius Malfoy had just lost his mind, as well as of his plans for her future.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Hermione rose sometime at midmorning, just as she had been doing for the past three weeks. Now that she could use magic, it didn't take her nearly as long as it used to do her chores. She definitely didn't miss having to wake up at the crack of dawn anymore. During this time, the number of things she was able to do with magic had increased exponentially, she'd noticed. After making her bed by hand simply out of habit, she magically filled a bowl full of water with which she washed her face, then vanished that water and refilled the bowl with water again, this time using a heating charm on it so she could wash her body.

This was Hermione's daily routine. Every morning, she would get up and clean, just as if she were a normal house slave. Her main responsibilities were the family quarters-Lucius' study, his and Narcissa's wing on the second floor, and their son Draco's wing on the third floor. Occasionally, Hermione would encounter Mr. or Mrs. Malfoy while she attended to her duties. Most of the time they ignored her, but sometimes they would engage her in light conversation. However, even though she'd spent a good part of her day in his room for the past three weeks, Hermione had not so much as caught a glimpse of Draco since the day she'd gotten her wand. Nevertheless, every day that Hermione entered Draco's room, she found it the same way-a complete mess, regardless of how well she'd cleaned the day before. Hermione thought that every night, Draco spent spend his time making his room as messy as possible, just because there was someone to clean up after him.

She assumed that the young master simply made himself scarce during the time she was there. It had become a game of hers, to see if she could catch sight of him one day. So far, she had been unsuccessful, but today, Hermione was finally going to win. She always started downstairs, doing Draco's room last because it was the closest to her room, but today, she was going to _start_ with Draco's room. Like any pampered aristocrat, he'd still be in bed.

Tucking her wand into her dress, Hermione left her room and headed down the long hallway. Draco slept in the largest room all the way at the end of the hall, the rest of the doors were locked. Hermione couldn't wait until she learned how to unlock things magically; she was itching to know what Draco Malfoy felt the need to hide.

She reached the door and slowly turned the handle so that the latch wouldn't make any noise, in case Draco was indeed sleeping inside. From what Hermione had gathered from the other slaves, the youngest Malfoy had a dangerously short temper, and he liked to torture slaves for fun.

There was no need for silence as the room was completely empty. Hermione sighed. She was sure he'd be there. The room was messier than normal-there were clothes strewn all across the room, some of which were distinctly female. Hermione couldn't help but blush as she thought of whatever the young master had been up to last night. There was a bottle from which red wine was dripping onto the plush white rug. The canopy above the bed was slightly askew and there was a shoe atop one of the bedposts.

Hermione got right to work. Because Lucius and Narcissa already knew she could use magic, she brandished her wand freely when cleaning their rooms. She did not know if Draco knew or not, and although it was unlikely, she kept her wand inside her sleeve when she used it in his rooms, just in case he were to ever walk in or not. She didn't know why she did this, because hidden wand or not, if Draco were to ever walk in while she performed a spell, there'd be no hiding what she was.

Hermione cast a quick _tergeo_ on the wine stain to siphon it all off of the rug. She picked up the wine bottle and placed it on the desk; she'd throw it out by hand later. She levitated the canopy back into place, fixed a newly-formed crack in the mirror, and summoned all the clothes to her. Laying each piece on the bed, she cast a quick _scourgify _on them all. She picked up Draco's clothes and put them away manually. Glancing in the mirror on her way to put away a pair of pants, she froze.

Draco Malfoy was watching her.

He stood in the doorway, merely appraising her. Hermione stared back, too shocked to move. She had hoped to see him in person, and now that he was there, she didn't know what to do. She couldn't continue her chores with him staring at her like that, it was unnerving.

"I have never seen you before," he finally spoke.

She looked away from him, finding herself now able to move. "Yes, well, I used to work in the field. Your father brought me here recently to be a house slave."

His eyebrow rose. "My father?"

She nodded slowly and continued what she was doing. "Yes, your father. You are Master Malfoy's son, are you not?" She turned away from the wardrobe to take a good look at him. With that platinum blonde hair, there was no mistaking that he was indeed Lucius Malfoy's son.

"Yes, I am. Draco Malfoy at your service." He bowed to her mockingly, crossed the room and stood in front of her. "And as such, I happen to know that it is in fact my mother, and not my father, who handles house slaves. I also know that my mother never ever reassigns field slaves to the house. She finds them to be too bumbling and clumsy."

The Malfoy heir leaned closer in an effort to intimidate her, and Hermione was trapped. "Who are you?" he whispered.

"I told you, sir, I'm-"

"Who are you really? Is this my father's new way of keeping his mistresses hidden from my mother? I've always known, you know. I've known about every last one of you, ever since I was a boy. You're the sixth. Or seventh, maybe. I've never bothered to actually keep count."

Hermione was stunned. This boy thought she was… with _Lucius Malfoy?_ She stifled a laugh at the thought. She'd never been romantically involved with anyone, and the thought of ever seeing Lucius Malfoy in that light made her skin crawl. She was sure that twenty years ago, Lucius Malfoy had been quite a catch, but he was twice her age.

More importantly, did she really seem like the type of cheap woman who'd be someone's mistress? That was just cheap and low, and not the sort of thing any respectable woman would do. He'd basically called her a whore!

"Now wait just a minute, mister," she said to him. "With all due respect, I don't care if you _are_ Lucius Malfoy's son, and therefore technically also my master, I am not the sort of woman who sleeps around with someone else's husband, or any other man for that matter! That is not the way you speak to a woman, and I'm sure your mother taught you better than that! I am a house slave, and _nothing more,_ whether you chose to believe that or not! I-"

"Silencio!" Hermione's lips continued to move, but no sound was coming out. Draco had his wand out, his face tinged pink with anger. He stepped closer to Hermione until their bodies were almost touching, and held his wand up to her face. "If you were a house slave, and not my father's whore, then you know better than to talk to me in that tone. I. Own. You. If I really wanted, I could have you on this floor in less than a second, experiencing the most intense pain of your life. I could probably even kill you and no one would think twice."

Hermione's eyes widened in fear. He wouldn't really…?

"But," he continued, "My father would have my head. He only buys the best slaves, and if you are telling the truth, you probably cost him a great deal of money. I can't go around damaging his property, now can I?"

Hermione nodded, hoping this meant she was safe from harm now. Draco lowered his wand and stepped away, signaling for her to continue her task. Hermione scurried around him to do just that, while he stood and watched her.

"You know, no one has ever stood up to a Malfoy like that, especially not a Mudblood," he told her.

Hermione bowed in apology as she gathered up the last piece of clothing.

He waved his hand in dismissal. "It was rather interesting," he said. "That's never happened before. What's your name?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but she was still under Draco's silencing spell. Apparently he'd forgotten about it too, because he laughed before restoring her voice.

"Hermione," she said.

"Hermione," he said to himself, testing the word out on his tongue. "Are you the one that cleans my room every day, Hermione?"

She nodded.

"I see," he said. "Well, Hermione, I think you shall be seeing a lot more of me from now on."

She was confused. "Sir?"

"I'm not an idiot. I can tell there's more to you than you're letting on, something you're hiding. And I know my father has something to do with it. I'm tired of being left out. I'm his only child, I'm the one in line to inherit everything, and he insists on keeping me in the dark like I'm some child. I want in on whatever the two of you are planning."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry Master Draco, I really am, but there's nothing going on. I'm really sorry that your father keeps you out of whatever he does, but I really am just a house slave, and nothing more. I just let my tongue slip today, that's all."

He sighed. "If you insist. But don't think I'm not going to speak to my father about this."

"If you feel you must, sir," she told him.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her and left the room, intent on finding his father. He marched down to the study on the second floor, but it was empty. He then went to his father's bedroom, but that too was empty. He found both of his parents outside in the garden, enjoying lemonade together.

His mother stood upon seeing him and opened her arms in a hug. "Draco, darling!"

"Hello, mother." He awkwardly returned her hug. "Father."

"Draco," Lucius gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. "What brings you down here? Your mother and I usually never see you except at dinner."

"Yes, well, I was hoping to talk to you about something, father. In private, if you don't mind. This should only take a minute," Draco assured his mother.

Lucius and Narcissa exchanged worried glances before Lucius stood and motioned for Draco to follow him back into the house. "What is it?" Lucius asked.

"Well, I happened to go to my room today as it was being cleaned," Draco began.

"And?" Lucius asked.

"And, I'd never seen her before. She said her name was Hermione and that she was recently reassigned from the field."

"So?"

"So, you know just as well as I do that can't be true. And, forgive me for asking, but…"

"But?"

"Have you taken a new mistress, father?"

At first, Lucius gave his son an expressionless stare. Draco was sure his father was going to get angry and lash out at him, but nothing came. Instead, Lucius chuckled and put his hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Son, I admit that in the past, I have not been faithful to your mother. But look at me now. I'm getting older, Draco. My libido is not nearly as active as it once was, and when the need does strike me, I have your mother. I haven't enjoyed the company of another woman in nearly three years."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly. Maybe if you spent more time with your parents, you'd know this."

Draco looked away guiltily. Spending time around his parents made him feel awkward, as did all displays of affection. "I apologize, father."

"No need, Draco. I know you're just concerned for your mother's feelings, but perhaps this girl really is just an impertinent slave."

"You mean you don't know?" Draco asked.

"You'd have to ask your mother," Lucius replied. "You know I don't deal with the slaves. Now, come join your mother and I for some lemonade."

Draco allowed himself to be led back to the garden where his mother was waiting. Now he knew for sure his father was hiding something, and he was going to find out what it was.

* * *

Three days later, when Hermione returned to her room after having completed her chores, there was a note on her bed. In Lucius' elegant script, it said: _Hermione, come to my study when you find this note. Do not forget your wand._

Confused, Hermione made her way back downstairs to Lucius' study. The door was unlocked and he was waiting for her in his usual throne.

"Good," he said. "You got my note. You're early, that's even better. We'll need all the time we can get. You'll be here for the rest of the day, so I had food brought up for you. Eat now."

He waved his hand at a tray of freshly made sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade. Hermione grabbed a sandwich and began to eat.

"I've given you all the time I could spare, and now it is time to complete your training. I'm planning to use you as a spy against those who owe me money, those who are gaining a bit too much support in circles, things like that. I'll have to teach you all the necessary spells myself, and I want to send you out tonight."

Hermione choked on the lemonade she'd been drinking. "Tonight, sir?"

"Yes, tonight. You'll be going about twenty miles south, to my brother-in-law's estate. His name is Rodolphus Lestrange, but the man I want you to go after is actually his brother, Rabastan. Rabastan has a bit of a gambling problem, and over the years I've lent him a few Galleons here and there to help him stave off ruin. And now I think it's time for Rabastan to pay me what he owes me. In full. Don't you agree, Hermione?"

She nodded fervently. "Yes, sir. But how am I to go about doing this?"

"Well after what I heard from Gibbons on your first lessons, I'm confident that you'll be at least proficient in anything I teach you tonight. You'll have to learn a disillusionment charm, so that you won't be seen, along with…"

Hermione half-listened to what Lucius was saying, grabbing at the tray with both hands, trying to eat away her nervousness. Rabastan Lestrange was not the most powerful or skilled wizard out there, but even among Muggles he was known to be extremely mad and extremely dangerous. Hermione was terrified of having to face him for any reason, let alone having to confront the wizard in his own home and try to extort money from him.

"Hermione?" She turned back to Lucius, who had, it seemed, finished what he'd been saying some time ago. "Are you paying attention?"

"Yes," she said. "Forgive me master, I'm just a bit nervous about tonight, that's all."

"It's understandable," he said, getting up to stand by her. "But whatever you may have heard about Rabastan Lestrange's sanity, he has the magical capabilities of an infant. Now get your wand out. I have a lot to teach you."

* * *

Hermione crept back onto the grounds of Malfoy Manor, one of Lucius' majestic Abraxans trailing behind her. The horse was snorting and flailing, but the silencing spell that Hermione'd put on it more out of practice than anything ensured that they were not heard. Even if they were discovered, one would only be able to see a horse that managed to escape from its owner's stables-Hermione was under a Disillusionment Charm, one of the many things Lucius Malfoy had just taught her only hours before.

Hermione was grateful that the stables were so close to the house. It had to have been past midnight, and she was exhausted. Rabastan Lestrange was indeed a deranged, greedy man and had fought tooth and nail against Hermione even though he couldn't see her. She'd learned tonight that some wizards were capable of doing magic even without their wands. In the end, it'd taken her hours to render him unconscious in order to take the money he owed Lucius.

She led the agitated horse back to his stall in the stables, then removed the charm. It was strange to be able to see herself after being disillusioned for such an extended period of time. She hardly paid attention to that, though. She was exhausted and needed rest, so she made her way around the house to the kitchen door and up to her room.

What Hermione forgot in her fatigue was that the kitchen door was at the very end of the east wing of the house. Three stories above her, one Malfoy was wide awake and watching her sneak back into the house.

_She and Father are definitely up to something,_ he said to himself. _And now I'm definitely going to find out what it is._

**A/N: **Ok, so. If you didn't get that, don't worry! All will be explained at the beginning of the very next chapter. I just didn't wanna drag this chapter on and on and on so I ended it here.

On another note, from now on, I'm gonna be recommending my favorite Dramiones at the end of each chapter. This time, it's **Never Say No,** by fiona249. It's just a wonderful fic, really. It's postwar, as most of my favorite stories are, and it's just amazing, so go check it out!


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